I wasn’t expecting much when I tested these inconspicuous H2O Audio workout earbuds — but they hooked me instantly

I thought the H2O Audio RIPT-Lite would be like other workout/everyday earbuds I’ve tried: decent at the fitness features, but disappointing in terms of audio. Happily, that’s not the case.

While, no, the RIPT-Lites won’t impress audiophiles, they were never designed to. For just $99, the RIPT-Lite could be some of the best earbuds for working out and music out there. Thanks to the compact and lightweight design, the earbuds fit in my ears perfectly during workouts and the bass-heavy sound profile got the blood pumping when I was running.

If you want a more premium earbud, though, these still aren’t for you. Instead, those looking for a cheap bud they can toss in their gym bag might want to keep reading this H2O Audio RIPT-Lite review.

H2O Audio RIPT-Lite review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A workout-slash-music earbud from H2O Audio — but it’s not suitable for swimming
• Who is it for? Perfect for those who want a cheap earbud to keep in a gym bag
• What does it cost? $99 / £96
• What do we like? The sound is surprisingly strong, plus they’re comfortable, stable and affordable
• What don’t we like? I wish the ANC was better

H2O Audio RIPT-Lite review: Specs

H2O Audio RIPT-Lite review: Price & availability

The H2O Audio RIPT-Lite earbuds are $99 from Amazon U.S. and £96 from Amazon U.K. This makes them relatively affordable for (mostly) decent workout-forward earbuds.

The RIPT-Lite earbuds are $150 cheaper than the new Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 (our best workout earbuds), but unfortunately $75 pricier than our best cheap running earbuds, the JLab Go Air Pop.

However, the RIPT-Lite earbuds have some spec improvements over the $24 JLab Go Air Pop. The H2O Audio offering boast 30 hours of battery life compared to the JLab’s 24 hours; 13mm drivers compared to the JLab’s 6mm; IPX5 compared to the JLab’s IPX4. The $36 JLab Go Pods ANC are also an excellent budget-friendly choice, with great ANC and IP66, and I’d always recommend those as the best super-cheap earbuds on the market.

If you want to save as much $$$ as possible, then the JLab Go Air Pop or the Go Pods will treat you right. However, they’re not dedicated workout earbuds (whereas the RIPT-Lite are workout/audio hybrids), and therefore lack some of key features, which I’ll get into in-depth later on.

H2O Audio RIPT-Lite review: Design & controls

• Super tiny earbuds
• Comes with a silicone accessory that feels very weird
• Responsive enough touch controls

The first thing I noticed when I first used these earbuds was their size. They are TINY. Like, oh-my-gosh-they-are-going-to-fall-out-of-my-ear-holes tiny. Usually, one of my complaints with earbuds is that they’re too big and uncomfortable after a few hours of wear… oh boy, not the H2O Audio RIPT-Lites. They’re minuscule.

Because they’re tipless, like the AirPods 4, they are perfect for those who don’t get on with the AirPods Pro 2’s silicone ear tips.

I got my tape measure out and compared the RIPT-Lites against my AirPods Pro 2 just to show you how tiny these buds really are.

I immediately doubted the RIPT-Lite’s ability to remain in place during workouts, but they actually stayed really well in my ears. The extra bass — which I’ll discuss more in the ‘Audio quality’ section — was beneficial when I was running, as it was louder than my (very) labored breathing.

While working out, the RIPT-Lites are actually quite easy to control, too. Unfortunately, the touch controls aren’t customizable, but I get on well with H2O Audio’s presets, so it’s not an issue. The left and right buds control different things: ANC is controlled by the left bud and play/pause is controlled by the right bud. Unlike other budget buds I’ve tried, the touch controls are responsive.

Weirdly, the RIPT-Lite earbuds come with a silicone accessory that slides around the tip of the bud. I assume this is for people with larger ears who need a bit more stability during workouts. I never needed to use this as my ears are quite small, and it actually just prevented the bud from fitting properly in my ear.

I’ll discuss this more in the ‘ANC’ section, but because of the tiny size, the RIPT-Lites’ ANC is pretty disappointing. When the tip isn’t snug or sealed in my ear, there’s no way that the ANC would work. Sound will get into my ear through the gaps around the earbuds themselves, no matter how proficient the ANC itself is.

Finally, the charging case. As with the buds, it’s very small, but not in a way that negatively affects usage. There’s a tiny screen on the front of the case that shows how much charge is remaining in the charging case, which is a wonderful feature.

H2O Audio RIPT-Lite review: Features & connectivity

• ANC
• Easy to connect, but no multipoint
• IPX5

Unlike H2O Audio’s other offerings, the RIPT-Lite buds are not waterproof. You cannot wear these earbuds while swimming. They are IPX5 rated, which means they’re sweatproof, nothing more.

This is the same as the EarFun Air 2 and EarFun Air 2 NC buds ($49, $69 respectively), which sound great and are sweatproof too. However, the EarFun buds aren’t specifically designed for working out, so if you want some workout-focused buds, they’re not the ones for you. However, I think the EarFun and H2O Audio offerings are comparable in pretty much every way.

One exception is that the H2O Audio RIPT-Lites do not have multipoint connectivity. I mean, it’s kind of a given, right? For starters, they’re $99, and for seconders, they’re mostly intended to be workout buds. You’re likely not going to be switching between your phone and your laptop while at the gym, right? As a result, if you’re after a more versatile pair of earbuds, then I’d recommend checking out the EarFun offerings I mentioned above.

H2O Audio RIPT-Lite review: Audio quality

• Loud bass, sometimes muddy
• No tinniness whatsoever
• Great sound quality for the price

To test the H2O Audio RIPT-Lite headphones, I listened to a range of genres on Qobuz, our best streaming service for audiophiles.

I don’t usually expect much from $99 earbuds, let alone workout-slash-everyday $99 earbuds. I’ve tested $180 workout earbuds (OneOdio OpenRock X) that sounded like they should cost $50. However, the RIPT-Lite buds pleasantly surprised me.

The buds have 13mm drivers, which result in pounding, if sometimes muddy, bass. These would be great, cheap earbuds for those who love bass. However, in some tracks I found the bass a little too much: it muffled the clarity of the soundscape. It’s worth noting that this didn’t happen in every genre, or with every artist, and when I was working out, I actually enjoyed the extra bass.

In ‘Dark Corner Dance Floor’ by Phantastic Ferniture, the summery, dense guitars were a touch fuzzy, but the vocal performance was clear and harmonious. This fuzziness was most apparent in the chorus, with a heavier, more layered soundscape. However, the bassline wasn’t affected by this.

To test this odd fuzziness, I played one of the more fuzzy tracks in my repertoire. ‘The Lick’ by Shame is a lazy punk track with a rotating bassline and husky, spoken-word vocals. While the kick drum was loud and clean, the tom drums were a little flat, like an old YouTube music video.

However, for just $99 workout-focused earbuds, I didn’t mind this. After the guitar-heavy tracks, I went to my usual bass-testing track, ‘flight fm’ by Joy Orbison. This song is almost entirely bass, so it’s the best way to evaluate bass performance. I was really impressed with the clarity of the squelching bassline and surprised when I could hear the (rare) treble notes.

After ‘flight fm’, I listened to ‘Breathe’ by Jamie xx, which has a wobbly, spacey bassline overlaid with a spoken-word mindful meditation routine. This track was clear and bassy, as expected from electronic tracks on these earbuds, but it wasn’t as expansive or immersive as perhaps Jamie xx intended. However, as I’ve said before, these earbuds are predominantly workout buds, so it’s forgivable.

‘POP’ by Miso Extra is (if you couldn’t guess) a pop track with glittering keyboard notes and bubble sound effects. While the nuance of the bubbles weren’t as loud as they were through my AirPods Pro 2, for this price point, it’s an easy sacrifice.

Overall, the music performance is good considering the $99, but it’s nothing mind-blowing. I wouldn’t say you have to buy these earbuds over the EarFun Air Pro 4 if you primarily want a music earbud. However, if you want hybrid music-and-workout earbuds, then the RIPT-Lites sound surprisingly good.

H2O Audio RIPT-Lite review: ANC

• Pretty disappointing ANC
• ‘ANC on’ and ‘ANC off’ modes

I’m going to make this clear now: I wouldn’t recommend the RIPT-Lite earbuds for ANC. In terms of comfort and sound, yes, definitely. But if you want a pair of earbuds that can block out the world, I think you’ll be sorely disappointed.

I’ve tested other earbuds without ANC that blocked more sound than the RIPT-Lites. But I don’t think that’s because of the ANC itself. It’s 100% due to the fit. Because the RIPT-Lite earbuds are so tiny, they can’t create that seal in my ear canal that blocks external sound. If sound waves can burrow into my ear around the earbuds themselves, then the ANC won’t be able to balance this.

Often, I wasn’t sure if my ANC was on or off, and found myself accidentally deactivating it when I thought I was turning it on.

While I don’t think you should use ANC on outdoor runs or cycles, if you wanted a versatile office/workout hybrid pair of earbuds, you might be better off with some dedicated ANC buds like the EarFun Air Pro 4.

H2O Audio RIPT-Lite review: Call quality

• Good for calls
• A little fuzzy in loud environments
• Not the best, but also nowhere near the worst

To test the call quality of the RIPT-Lite earbuds, I called my boyfriend. He’s been the test subject for pretty much every earbud I’ve ever reviewed, so he is a control test in my process now.

He said the earbuds sounded good and he could hear everything I was saying, but there was a little fuzziness in the back of my speech. However, this didn’t negatively affect his ability to understand my speech, and overall, the earbuds performed their job well.

I would compare this mic quality to the $69 EarFun Air 2.

H2O Audio RIPT-Lite review: Battery

• 5 hours in the buds
• 30 hours in the case
• Mediocre buds battery life

My AirPods Pro 2 have some of the most disappointing battery life for premium earbuds, at 6 hours in the buds and 24 hours in the case. The RIPT-Lite earbuds have a shorter battery life, at just 5 hours in the buds, but easily beat Apple’s case battery.

However, I think 5 hours is a conservative estimate. I was using these earbuds for about 5 hours and they only dropped to half charge. Then, when I charged them back up, the case only dropped to 85%.

If you want earbuds with seriously unbeatable battery life, EarFun’s Air 2 and Air 2 NC ($49 and $69, respectively) tap out at an impressive 40 hours. However, for workouts, I think the 5-hour (or more) H2O RIPT-Lite is good enough.

H2O Audio RIPT-Lite review: Verdict

Considering the H2O Audio RIPT-Lite earbuds are workout/everyday hybrid buds, I didn’t have high expectations. Usually, earbuds that try to do it all majorly lack important features like decent sound quality.

While I wish there were a few more premium features like better ANC, wear detection, and a companion app, this isn’t the end of the world. The RIPT-Lite earbuds perform excellently for $99 workout earbuds, and I could see myself using them as everyday earbuds if I didn’t have AirPods. While, yes, I think the EarFun Air 2, EarFun Air 2 NC, and the JLab Go Buds are excellent earbuds for the price, if you want a super tiny earbud that is comfortable for long periods, the RIPT-Lite will suit you better.

I was really shocked by how good these earbuds actually sound. If, like me, you have your doubts about workout/music earbuds, then give the RIPT-Lite the benefit of the doubt — I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.